sunlight rising
over rolling fields and flowers—
the good earth
There’s something comforting and reassuring here in this woodcut print by Wharton Esherick. It makes me think of The Good Earth, Pearl Buck’s historical novel which follows a young farmer in rural, turn-of-the-century China. Its overriding theme is “the nourishing power of the land.” Throughout the novel, connections to the land are associated with morality, good sense, respect for the land and a strong work ethic, while alienation from the land is associated with decadence and corruption. Published in 1931, the novel won both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize. I was a young girl when I read it; I must read The Good Earth again.
